XPost: rec.audio.pro   
   From: hankvc@blackhole.lostwells.net   
      
   In article ,   
   Laurence Payne   wrote:   
   >On Sat, 3 Apr 2010 08:59:06 -0700, Audio Empire   
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >>No, I'm talking about the OS, mostly. The build quality of Macs is better   
   >>than MOST Winboxes, but when you compare a like priced Winbox to a   
   >>like-priced Mac, they're pretty much the same hardware-wise. IOW, a $2500 PC   
   >>and a $2500 Mac Pro are pretty comparable wrt build quality. The difference   
   >>is that there isn't much market for a $2500 Windows box. Most of that action   
   >>is in the $500 range and below where Apple does not play at all.   
   >   
   >Now that Macs ARE using essentially the same hardware as PCs, it   
   >should be easy to compare the price of comparable computers with and   
   >without the Mac label.  Has anyone done so?   
      
   Yes.  But it hasn't be a comparison between mass-marketed machines,   
   either hardware or software.   
      
   You can compare the Mac Pro line with HP-Compaq ML Proliant or current   
   Sun Ultra machines.  As I recall, Dell has similar higher-end   
   machines.   
      
   Typically, what you'll find in them is EEC/Registered memory, hard   
   disks mounted in spud/sled slide-in brackets, SAS drives, physically   
   larger power supplies, much more attention to cooling.  The Suns are   
   sold with Solaris installed, the others are bare hardware---you supply   
   and install your own O/S.   
      
   Prices on comparable configurations--and you'll have to compare   
   line-by-line with specification details---looks to be about 50-70% of   
   Apple retail.  But we're still talking $1000 and more for a tower   
   package without display or keyboard, and none of the competition will   
   load the Apple O/S.  They'll all run Windows, if you insist, but   
   they'll all run Solaris, one of the Linuxes (Sun will sell you a Red   
   Hat distribution), FreeBSD or OpenBSD.   
      
   Many of these machines will do double-duty as Enterprise servers.   
   There are configurations in the product lines that offer redundant   
   power supplies, "lights out" headless management (i.e. will boot and   
   run without a keyboard or monitor attached---administration through   
   USB or RS-232 port), and the product lines move quickly into   
   rack-mounted server machines, some of which aren't very adaptable for   
   use as desktop workstations.  Of course, as server horsepower goes up,   
   price goes up as well, and you quickly move into machinery that   
   eclipses the abilities of the Apple Pro line.   
      
   Hank   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)